Living in the Moment
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Never liking the idea of being a wall flower, Zack becomes an ally to a red headed Turk in a small 'assignment', and things get hot in a hurry. In that case it might be too hot for the SOLDIER to handle...


Orchestra music filled the air, and from that alone Zack knew he was more out of place than he had anticipated when he had volunteered for this mission.

The mission was rather simple...on paper that is. His orders had been by Lazard to help build a protection detail for President Shinra's son Rufus' party as new Vice President of the company. The detail was sketchy on what he had to work with but let's just say he was blown away by what he was to work with. For starters there had to be over a thousand soldiers in the first few miles of the building the party was taking place in, added were the machines and gun turrets in every street corner. Added to that there was a lot of feet on the ground in the building as well, but that was where it got complicated.

Zack had been asked by Tseng of the Turks to be on the inside. Since he was a member of the vaunted group known as SOLDIER (also due to the fact that Sephiroth was away on a mission and was unable to come back in time) Zack was asked to represent SOLDIER at the party as well as help protect the newly appointed Vice President.

But the whole protection thing was a farce, this much Zack knew. "The Turks are all on detail inside. They never fail at their job, and I'm fairly certain they can handle it here."

Still, it was better to not be needed than to be doing nothing but marching along a wall of defenses outside. He actually got to talk to people while inside, including Rufus Shinra himself. He shook Zack's hand, saying he appreciated a 1st Class SOLDIER being around. While Zack had said it was an honor and all that to the VP, he knew that after shaking his hand that Rufus wasn't a guy he was going to like. The guy was one of those secretive types, he was sure of it.

Still, after Rufus had left the party continued, and thus the mission continued. And in every corner of the building Zack knew he was being watched by not just security but also the Turks. Not that he had seen any of them with his own eyes; it's just that he knew they were there. He rarely said anything to anyone because he knew he was being monitored. They intimidated him despite how some of them acted when he was around them. That was part of their cover, they appeared to be normal but as far as Zack knew all they cared about were their jobs for there was no such thing as a civilian life for them.

While the VP was away, Zack had not been given orders to follow him, and with that he saw no other option for himself but to go and enjoy the party.

Surely if there was a problem they'd let him know, right?

The place still had a lot of people but at least he was able to go around and not feel too out of place anymore. With that, Zack stood near the wall near a staircase leading to the next floor up. He was observing the party, trying to see if he could find something to do to occupy his time.

Truth be told, he was getting really bored, so leaning against the wall with his arms crossed didn't bother him. "Man, parties are not a thing for me."

"Never took you for a wall flower, Zack."

"Huh?" That very feminine voice was very familiar. Standing up straight, Zack turned towards the stairs and saw her. Walking down the stairs in four inch heels, wearing a black short skirt and a white dress top, red hair draped over one shoulder, was a Turk he was familiar with. In short, she looked amazing. "Cissnei?"

"Hey," she said with a smile as she reached the bottom stair.

Not able to get over Cissnei's look, he tried not to stare but it wasn't working, getting as much as his eyes could get. "I take it you're on duty?"

"Pretty much. Protection detail for the Vice President. What about you?"

"Director Lazard sent me here for the same reason, but truth be told, I feel like a fifth wheel on the wagon if you catch my drift."

Nodding once, Cissnei walked up next to him, "I know the feeling. It's been rather hard for us to be confident in our work when we're tripping over each other. There are soldiers on the roof and mechs outside. Nothing screams there's someone important here than that."

Zack again tried not to stare, as not only was it completely rude but as it was Cissnei he tried not to be rude with her more. Cissnei was a Turk, but unlike the other Turks he had met she seemed a bit more down to earth and relatable. However that didn't mean she revealed a lot of herself to him, in fact she hadn't talked to him much since the day they met in Sector 6. He had saved her from a Genesis clone but other than that their interactions were few and far between.

Still he had to admit that the outfit, which showed off both her shoulders and her legs, was a welcome change for her in his opinion. So much was it a welcome change that he was unable to hold back and admire her with a stare.

"Zack, you're staring," she said.

Feeling like an ass, he shook his head and looked away, his face an obvious red, "Sorry!" _'If she's on protection, why is she dressed like that? She supposed to be undercover or something?'_

"It's alright," she said, honestly not disturbed by him. She turned back towards the stairs, "If you want to do something, would you mind giving me a hand?"

Zack turned towards her, staring at her back and seeing that the outfit left her skin pretty much exposed, "What you got in mind?"

She started to walk up the stairs, "Suspicious character located near here. I might need back up. I'd appreciate it if you helped me out."

Seeing no other alternative other than to be bored the rest of the evening, Zack shrugged his shoulders, "Sure. Long as I can be of help."

The two went on up the stairs, with Zack leading the way and Cissnei following close behind with her hand to her ear. Obviously she was speaking to whoever her superior was (Zack wasn't sure, he always thought Tseng was in charge but apparently not), and getting details.

The building the party was taking place in was in fact three buildings in one, attached to each other by stone and concrete bridges that were not surprisingly patrolled by the Shinra troops stationed on top of the middle building. They were so concerned with protecting the big building that they left themselves open on the two smaller ones.

"Idiots," Cissnei said in frustration, something Zack never saw her do and thus he was pleasantly surprised by it. "The guy in question is on Building 1, just on the other side of the bridge." They went down a hall that was completely empty.

"Aren't your colleagues stationed there as well?" Zack asked, he had believed that the Turks had everything covered.

"We protect the President and his son, as well as other high ranking officials. Other people don't fall under our jurisdiction," she said in a matter of fact tone.

"That's cold..." Zack said.

"It's part of our job. It's not personal, and besides you can do that without being ordered to," she replied, opening a door and heading down another floor and from there they came outside.

Right outside the path lead them to the bridge leading to the smaller building Cissnei had been told about. From what she could see there was indeed a person hanging around the edge of the building, and for a second she thought the man had seen her, so she tried to act casual. That's when her training came into play, and by then she had grabbed Zack's hand. "Hold on."

"What-whoa!" She grabbed his arm and placed it on her hip and elbowed him in the rib to keep his voice down though she might have hit him a bit harder than she had wanted.

"Ow, you could have said something," he said in a low voice.

"Keep it down and do exactly as I say," she said as she got closer to him, and from there she didn't notice how awkward she was making him feel. "Put your arm around my shoulder."

"What?"

"He's looking in this direction, and if we don't try to blend in he might think we're on to him. We just have to hold out for a few more minutes or until he moves," she said, helping Zack move his arm to be around her shoulders and she placed her left hand in the middle of his chest. She must have felt his heart beating rapidly because she held in a smile. "Stay calm."

 _'How can I stay calm when you're forcing yourself on me?!'_ Zack wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut. Not only because he didn't want to make matters worse and blow Cissnei's cover, but because he could smell some nice perfume coming off her. Sweet flowers of some kind, he didn't know which. It was intoxicating. "The Turks watching us?"

Cissnei didn't hear him, instead her attention was at the ear piece in her ear that was giving her instructions. When that was finished she whispered to Zack, "We're going to flush out whether he's a threat or not with a little show. If he does anything we have permission to take him down, if not we-"

Both Zack and Cissnei looked up at the sky and saw some fireworks going off, flashing brightly and exploding loudly.

"Fireworks? Where'd those come from?" Zack said.

"That must be Reno's diversion. Nice touch."

"How long will it last?"

Cissnei smiled, "Knowing Reno? Long enough." She turned to face Zack, still going along with the plan she had in mind. Getting him to turn in the same direction didn't take much as he was unable to comprehend what she was up to, though she had to put his hands on her hips and she almost laughed at how awkward he looked.

From where he stood, Zack was able to look over the top of Cissnei's head and see the man, dressed in a tuxedo with a hat on his head and wearing a red tie look up at the fireworks going off. He seemed to panic a little bit, looking all around seemingly to see if he was being watched. Zack peered down at Cissnei when he saw the man heading their way. He didn't seem to think he was being monitored but he was run-walking if that was the correct term. Regardless of it he was now heading towards the exit where Zack and Cissnei were positioned just outside of. Now what? "He's heading this way, what do we do?"

Cissnei couldn't turn around to see for obvious reasons, "Is he in a run or a jog?"

Zack made a guess, "Give him a minute and he'll be right next to us."

Should he notice her and Zack her cover would be blown and thus her target would get away. She made a snap decision, "Kiss me."

Zack blinked, not sure he heard her correctly, "Huh?"

"People tend to look away when seeing signs of affection so...," she stopped after that, letting her actions do the talking for her as she put her right hand on the back of Zack's head and pulled him into her lips. Zack's initial reaction was better than Cissnei had expected, and as he already had his hands on her hips she felt him pull her to him.

The kiss was expertly good on Cissnei's part, she had done this before with the men in the Turks on missions before, but those were men with experience. And it was from her experience in the matter at hand that she had come to believe that Zack had never been kissed before.

She was right.

Zack's brain was going bananas, and he was feeling sensations he had not really noticed before, even with Aerith. Of course, out of respect for her he had done nothing more than hold her hand when he walked with her, so he was pretty lost right now.

And yet, as strange and sudden as it was, Zack wasn't in a hurry to get away, and from the way Cissnei was running her fingertips along the back of his neck she wasn't either.

As both of them had their eyes closed, they didn't notice that the man had made it past them. Instead, they both remained entrenched in the position they got themselves into. It looked like a scene out of a romance novel. Thanks to the fireworks bursting over their heads and how comfortable they appeared to be with each other one might think that they were really lovers.

Comfort was really only on Cissnei's side, yet Zack kept contact despite the fact that he was shaking and she could feel the heat from his face on her own cheeks.

The booming of the fireworks slowly died down, that combined with the buzzing in her ear from Reno's high pitched voice from her comm-link finally got Cissnei to separate from Zack. She was surprised at how reluctant she was in doing so.

"Sorry, got a little carried away," she apologized, her tone honest and sincere. The truth had never been spoken better. She tapped her comm-link to get Reno's attention.

It took Zack almost a full minute to find a reply, "Uh, sure…all for the mission right?" His face was beet red, and in trying to hide that even if it was a futile action he turned to look at the sky.

She didn't hear him, as she hearing the situation from Reno. After he finished Cissnei turned to Zack, who was still avoiding looking her directly in the eye, "Rude caught the guy outside the front door. He's now in our custody. Thanks for the assist, Zack."

He turned his head slightly at her, "…sure…" He was very nervous, and he was trying to hide it.

It failed.

"You did pretty well for a rookie," she said with a slight smile.

"Huh?"

"Trust me, I've dealt with other Turks the same age as you and sometimes they fail miserably when undercover in situations like that. Give yourself a pat on the back."

"Just next time give me a chance to catch my breath," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. To his credit he tried to laugh off his nervousness.

He didn't notice that Cissnei glided over to stand next to him, not making a sound as she did so, and hooked her arm with one of his.

Zack peered down at her, "What's wrong."

He saw her pull her hand away from her ear but didn't see if she had anything in her hand as she turned his whole body to face her.

"Is there something wrong?" Immediately Zack thought something was up and so he took a look around to see if there was anything suspicious going on, yet he failed to take notice of the little smile Cissnei had on her face.

In a scene similar to before, Cissnei placed one of her hands on the back of Zack's neck which happened to be the same one she was holding the small comm-link in, and pulled him close. "Not at all."

She kissed him again, and like before Zack didn't see it coming. However, unlike before he was more susceptible to it. Hell, one could say that by the way he had his hands on her hips, that he was downright enjoying her.

And he was going to do so for as long as he could.

* * *

A/N: I had fun writing this; which i started after I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier. To those whoever saw that film you know what inspired this piece. Still, it was fun to write.


End file.
